News Details

February 11, 2019

Gaithersburg-based Buchanan Partners is planning to transform 145 undeveloped acres in Woodbridge into a walkable mixed-use development.
If built, the “Quartz District” project would add to Buchanan’s growing portfolio in Prince William County and the city of Manassas, where the firm has developed more than 1 million square feet of retail and commercial over the past 20 years. The Quartz District is planned for the prominent intersection of Prince William Parkway and Minnieville Road. It is owned by a venture of Mitchell Phelps LLC of Woodbridge and Buchanan Partners. Located near Potomac Mills, the project is slated to include 125,000 square feet of retail, 1,000 residential units including townhomes, multifamily and condos and approximately 200,000 square feet of office.
Kingsley McAdam, a principal with Buchanan Partners, said the company is currently working with the county on an application it submitted in October to rezone the property to a planned mixed-use district. He hopes to gain county approval by the end of this year or early next year. Initial infrastructure work could begin by 2021.

Buchanan’s goal with Quartz District is to develop an untouched piece of land that is essentially a “hole in the doughnut” amid a fully developed suburban area with grocery-anchored shopping centers, single-family homes and a substantial population in place, McAdam said.
“There’s nothing there,” McAdam said. “It’s truly unique that there is a property of this size that has been untouched.”
He said the development would feature a walkable neighborhood center with pedestrian friendly streetscapes, open spaces, a grocery store, and “experiential retail” that will distinguish the Quartz District from other surrounding shopping centers. It will also include a man-made lake that will function as a storm water management facility and offer an opportunity for a variety of uses along its perimeter including outdoor seating for restaurants and a plaza for gathering and programmed events.
McAdam said the project is in keeping with the Dale City Small Area Plan that encourages walkable mixed-use environments and less car-centric development than is prevalent in the area.”It’s just a sea of parking and big-box retail,” he said. “Prince William is looking at this area and looking at the potential for redevelopment of the older commercial areas in a way that doesn’t exist in this market.”
He declined to disclose total buildout costs, adding that the development is still in the early planning phases.
In the meantime, Buchanan Partners is working with community engagement platform CoUrbanize to crowdsource feedback about the project on everything from community benefits to place-making design concepts and transportation infrastructure.
“The comments we have gotten from the CoUrbanize site have confirmed that transportation is a big issue here,” McAdam said. “We are doing a lot of analysis and work with Prince William County to find ways to remediate the traffic. There’s going to be significant traffic improvements here.”
Buchanan’s other Prince William projects include The Landing at Cannon Branch, a 40-acre master planned mixed-use community in Manassas that includes 274 townhomes, office and retail, and Heathcote Commons, a 390-unit townhome development in Gainesville.

Other News

Joint venture marks fourth partnership between Elion and Buchanan
Miami, FL and Gaithersburg, MD, February 12, 2019 – Real estate investment firms Elion Partners (“Elion”) and Buchanan Partners (“Buchanan”) today announced the acquisition of a 1.6 million square foot industrial portfolio, spanning 34 buildings spread across six locations in the Washington D.C. Metro area. Within this transaction, Elion and Buchanan have replicated their ongoing investment strategy, which focuses on investing in key assets at- or below- replacement cost with strong occupancy fundamentals in supply-constrained locations. The newly acquired assets are in close proximity to the Washington Dulles International Airport and service tenants primarily in the government contract sector.

While Metro is marketing a couple of parcels of land adjacent to Glenmont Metro station, another nearby development may soon break ground. Elion Partners and Buchanan Partners partnered up to purchase a 164-unit multifamily building and adjacent 3.5-acre parcel a short walk from Glenmont Metro station in December. The partnership will renovate the existing apartment building and construct an additional 254-unit multifamily building on the surface lot at Georgia Avenue and Glenallan Ave.
M/I Homes of DC is currently constructing 46 townhouses near the site, for which approval was granted in May 2018 simultaneous to the planned 254-unit building. The project was also approved to include 4,000 square feet of retail.

ULI Washington, DC presented its prestigious 2018 Lifetime Achievement
Award to Buchanan Partners Principal and 2030 Group President, Bob Buchanan. The award recognizes a leader from the Washington real estate community whose life exemplifies the mission of ULI and who, in addition to a lifetime of commitment to real estate, has given back to the community through demonstrated civic, charitable and philanthropic endeavors.